Weekend Edition.

A realistic sense of touch.

“If I was stuck on a deserted island with only one source of news, News Items would be it.” — Jack Leslie, professor at Georgetown University and former chairman, Weber Shandwick.

---

---

1. Scientists have for the first time given a realistic sense of touch to people operating a robotic hand via signals sent from their brain, marking the latest advance in neurotechnology research to help overcome disabilities. The University of Chicago study, published in Science on Thursday, worked over several years with volunteers paralysed by spinal cord injuries. They had tiny electrodes implanted in the brain’s sensory and motor regions that control sensations and movements in the arm and hand. The subjects learned not only to grasp objects by driving a bionic limb with their thoughts — a feat achieved in previous research — but also to feel edges, shapes and movements. Such rich two-way communication between the robotic hand and brain raises hopes that intuitive systems could improve the lives of millions of disabled people. (Sources: ft.com, science.org)

---